


Find Our Way Through The Dark

by the_girl_in_the_flower_dress



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Anxiety Attacks/ PTSD, F/M, Family, Fluff and Angst, Future Fitzsimmons, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-04-25 11:55:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14378133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_girl_in_the_flower_dress/pseuds/the_girl_in_the_flower_dress
Summary: Events and experiences of past missions and trauma can leave a lasting effect on people, as young Elizabeth Fitzsimmons comes to realise. Luckily, Fitzsimmons' relationship can conquer all, and there'll never be a time when they're not there for each other.





	Find Our Way Through The Dark

**Author's Note:**

> First fic on this site, thank you to my lovely friends for giving me the confidence to share my writing. Some angst, fluff, and everyone's favourite S.H.I.E.L.D. couple, enjoy! ;)

Elizabeth- age 8

Elizabeth Fitzsimmons sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. It was still dark outside and clearly night, so for a moment, she was confused as to why she had woken. She usually slept quite happily through the night.

Then she realised that a light was on, spilling under her door. Her eyes grew accustomed to the semi-darkness, and too curious to sleep, she slipped out of bed. Quietly, she opened the door and peered out into the hall. Her brother’s room was in darkness, but her mum and dad’s bedroom door had been closed completely, which was unusual, because they liked to keep it partly open in case the children needed them.

She listened intently and heard the muffled sound of hastily-concealed voices. Elizabeth crept noiselessly across the hall and opened the door a crack, suddenly feeling a little nervous.

“Fitz… Fitz, please. Look at me, it’s _Jemma_ , you’re safe… you’re _home...”_

Elizabeth, unaccustomed to the tense, frightened words coming out of her mother’s mouth, cowered against the door frame. Her mother was crouched down by her father on the floor of their en-suite, stroking sweat-soaked hair off his forehead, tears glistening in her eyes.

“It’s over, it was a long time ago… please come back to me, Fitz… think of the _children,_ I don’t want to wake them… I _promise_ that you’re safe…”

Elizabeth was overcome with the urge to run away, but instead she seemed to freeze. Her dad’s body racked with heavy sobs, and there was a distant, terrified look in his eyes. His sobs stopped for a moment, and she prayed that it was over, until he suddenly bolted for the toilet behind him, retching and coughing into the bowl.

She couldn’t stay quiet any longer, it was too much for a little girl to witness.

“Mum?” She whispered. “ _Mummy.”_

Jemma turned around and a look of total devastation came over her. She hastily shut the door on Fitz, as much as it pained her to leave him, and brushed tears off her cheeks.

“Elizabeth, what are you…?” She seemed lost for words.

“What’s the matter with Daddy?” Jemma opened her mouth to explain, then closed it again. She walked over to her daughter and crouched down to her height.

“Daddy will be ok, I promise.” She stroked her cheek. “He just had a nightmare about something that happened a long time ago, he’ll be back to normal in a little bit, sweetie.”

“Ok…” Elizabeth replied unsurely, not quite able to look her mother in the eyes.                                                                                                                                                                           

"Please don’t worry about it. That was something that you shouldn’t have seen, and I don’t want it to upset you. Either would Daddy.”

“Do you promise he’ll be ok?” Elizabeth asked timidly. Jemma looked her daughter directly in the eyes, and a new strength flooded her words.                                                                                     

“Your Daddy is the bravest man I know. He’ll be back to normal before you know it.” Elizabeth nodded. “Come on, back to bed now.”

Jemma picked her daughter up, straining a little now that she was almost too heavy for her to lift, and carried her to her room. She made sure that she was comfortable and more relaxed before leaving her.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

“Don’t you worry about anything, sweetheart, just sleep… you’re a good girl, I love you…” She said, soothingly. Despite everything that had just happened, Elizabeth felt her eyelids become heavy, and she let herself drift off to sleep. She vaguely heard her mum whispering words of comfort to her, curled up in a little ball under her duvet…      

As soon as Jemma was satisfied that Elizabeth was settled, she retreated as quickly and as quietly as possible out of her room, almost running by the time she reached Fitz. She really hating leaving him when he needed her most, but her children came first, and she knew he would understand that.

“Jemma?” He said weakly, still sat on the floor.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

“I’m here.” She replied, wetting a cold flannel and pouring him a glass of water. “I’m sorry I had to go.”

“Was that Elizabeth?” He gratefully took a sip of water, grimacing at the bitter taste in his mouth.                                                                                                                                                   

 “Yes.” Jemma shook her head. “She’s in bed now, I talked to her.”                                                                                                                                                                                                     

 “Oh god.” He groaned, putting his head in his hands in despair. “She shouldn’t have had to see me like that, like _this_.”

His t-shirt was soaked with sweat, half-dried tears stained his cheeks and his hair was tousled and damp, not to mention the fact that he was still shaking and sat against the toilet on the bathroom floor.

“I don’t know what happened, Jemma…” His voice shook. “I had a nightmare about the Framework, and it just spiralled into everything else. I woke up and panicked, I couldn’t stop myself… I’m so, so sorry.”

“Hey, don’t apologise.” She gently sponged the flannel around his face and neck, calming him down and washing away the trauma of the last hour. It seemed that he was over the worst. “After everything that we’ve been through, this is perfectly normal. I get them too.” She swallowed a lump of emotion in her throat, then continued. “So does Daisy and Coulson and Mack and Yoyo and May. We’re going to get through this together ok?”                                                                                                                                                                                                               

“Thankyou, Jem.” There was a moment of quiet as they sat together. He sighed. “I just feel so awful about involving Elizabeth.”

“I know… and for all her intelligence and maturity, she’s still a little girl. She went to sleep immediately after I talked to her, I’m sure she’ll brush it aside and keep going. And if not, we’ll deal with it. Like we always do.”

Jemma looked at the clock. It had just gone half past three in the morning.                                                                                                                                                                                       

"Do you think you’re ok to come back to bed?” She asked, her eyes searching his.                                                                                                                                                                                  

"I think so. I’ll just have a quick shower, I feel terrible, and then I’ll join you.”                                                                      

She left him to wash and freshen up and climbed back into bed. She didn’t know if either of them would be able to sleep properly, but at least they had each other, and that would be comfort enough.


End file.
